


Survivors

by kethni



Category: Those She Left Behind (1989)
Genre: F/M, Moving On, alternative relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:41:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28365594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kethni/pseuds/kethni
Summary: ‘Relationships shouldn’t be one size fits all. Life isn’t.’
Relationships: Scott Grimes/Diane Pappas
Comments: 2
Kudos: 2





	Survivors

**Author's Note:**

> With thanks to crazymaryt for the suggestion

Scott had always packed light. Part of that was just the fact that didn’t much care about clothes and he never had. He’d pretty much gone from his mom buying his clothes to Sue buying his clothes. Sure, he’d had to do it himself for a while now, but he still hadn’t learned to care much about them. They kept him warm. They stopped him getting arrested for public nudity. That was pretty much all he asked for when it came to his own clothes. He could have gone away for a week and carried everything in a backpack.

Katie, on the other hand, required approximately one full adult’s suitcase of clothing per day. That didn’t even account for the books, toys, snacks, sun cream, juice boxes, and dozens of other things that she might need at any possible moment. Her clothing was scrupulously selected and perfectly laundered.

Scott laid out three possible outfits on the bed and scooped Katie up into his arms.

‘Okay, we’re going on the plane today. What do you want to wear on the plane?’

Katie looked at the clothing and then at Scott. ‘Plane?’

‘That’s right,’ he said. ‘You’re going to visit grandma and grandpa, you remember?’

She screwed up her nose. ‘Stinky.’

Scott rolled his eyes. ‘I hope you don’t do that all the way there,’ he remarked. ‘Come on, which outfit do you want?’

Katie twisted around and looked down at the three outfits. ‘Princess Dress.’

‘Sure, but which one? The green one or the pink one?’

‘Green!’

Katie was going through a dress phase. She had drawers of leggings, skirts, and tops that she refused to wear. Scott had been a little worried about this until he’d met several parents whose children were currently insisting on going into the world every day dressed as Spider-Man, or constantly wearing a yellow cowboy hat, or in one case, bright red rainboots even in the height of summer.

Scott dressed Katie, braided her hair with ribbons in a way that he _knew_ was hopelessly optimistic, and strapped on her new black boots.

‘I don’t like them,’ Katie said.

‘You liked them yesterday when we bought them.’

‘Amir has blue boots.’

Scott stood back. ‘Good for Amir.’ He blew out his cheeks. ‘Okay, time to go.’

‘I’m hungry.’

‘You can have a snack in the car,’ he promised, picking up her cases.

He heard her little steps as she followed him.

‘I don’t like the plane.’

‘You’ve never been a plane,’ he pointed out. He put down the cases to open the child gate, carry the cases through and shut the gate again. He went quickly down the stairs to put the cases in the living room before returning to where she was waiting. She put up her arms automatically to be lifted over the gate.

‘Take a proper hold of the bannister, okay?’

She was past the point now of having to sit down and shuffle from step to step on her butt, but the steps were still a challenge. Each one a little adventure as she strained to check that she could reach them.

Scott did a quick final check of the house before strapping Katie in the baby seat and putting all the luggage in the back of the car.

‘Snack, daddy?’ Katie prompted.

‘Right, right.’ That was the other point of clothes, he supposed, somewhere to stash fruit and juice boxes for easy retrieval.

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly before he started the car. He glanced back at Katie.

‘Excited for the trip?’ he asked.

She waggled her feet at him. Her mouth was full of banana.

‘Great,’ he muttered.

***

He hadn’t been on a plane since Katie was a baby. Back then he would have silently judged anyone taking a small child on a plane ride. Well, he did a lot of things back then that he wouldn’t do now. Scott would be the first person to admit that he could be a horse’s ass. He just hoped that he could be a horse’s ass about fewer things that previously.

The flight crew brought Katie colouring books and the like to keep her occupied. Scott had a bagful of toys of course but there was nothing like novelty to keep her mind off things.

She cried a tiny bit during take-off and landing, a little from the noise but mostly from her ears hurting, but the hard candy seemed to help. It helped enough that she decided to play up just _how much_ her ears hurt so she could score more candy.

Margaret and Bill were waiting in Arrivals. Scott took Katie off her leash and let her run across to fling her arms around Margaret. She only fell down twice, which he thought was pretty good going.

‘Look at you, you’re so big!’ Margaret said, bouncing Katie in her arms.

‘We planed!’ Katie said.

‘You flew on a plane? That’s so exciting!’

Bill clasped Scott’s shoulder. ‘We cleared out the other guest room, just in case.’

‘You’re not escaping that easily,’ Scott laughed. ‘She’s yours all weekend. Unless there’s a problem, of course. You’ve got the numbers, right?’

Bill nodded as he took the luggage.

‘There won’t be a problem,’ Margaret said. ‘But if you want to stay you can. No judgement!’

Scott nodded. ‘I know, but we agreed, and this way you get some real bonding time with Katie.’

Margaret kissed Katie’s forehead. ‘Daddy is going for his little break, Katie, say bye-bye.’

‘I’ll see you in a couple of days,’ Scott promised, stroking the back of Katie’s head. ‘You be good for grandma and grandpa, okay?’

‘Where you going?’ Katie asked.

‘You’ll see daddy in a couple of days,’ Bill said, taking her from Margaret.

‘I love you,’ Scott said, kissing Katie. ‘I’ll see you soon.’

She pouted. ‘See you soon.’

He left quickly, before he got too upset.

***

It felt like a long ride up the hotel elevator. Scott watched the numbers ticking over and tried not to go through the automatic litany of things that could go wrong. Nothing was going to wrong. Everything would be fine.

It was a long walk along the corridor to the door that he was seeking.

He tapped on the hotel room door and smiled slightly when it was opened.

‘Hello,’ Diane said, leaning against the doorjamb.

‘Hi.’

***

‘What are you thinking about?’

‘Room service.’

Diane laughed and sat up a little, pulling the pillow under her shoulders. ‘If you’re going to call room service then you definitely need to put on some clothes.’

Scott stretched out on the bed. ‘I could put on a robe.’

‘Only if you’re planning on tipping _extremely_ well,’ Diane laughed.

He propped himself up on his elbow. ‘Am I that terrible to look at?’

‘Hideous,’ she said. ‘What do you want to eat?’

It took them a few minutes to find the menu. While Scott flipped through the pages, Diane got up and made some coffee.

‘Do you need to call?’ Diane asked.

‘Who?’ He registered her expression and shook his head. ‘No. They’ll call the hotel if there’s a problem.’

She sat on the bed and sipped her coffee. ‘I wasn’t sure if they knew where you were.’

‘It’s not a secret,’ he said, picking up his cup of coffee.

‘Okay,’ she said. ‘Good.’

‘Fried chicken looks good,’ he suggested.

‘You _are_ hungry,’ she remarked, picking up the menu.

Scott smirked. ‘I need a lot of fuel.’

‘Oh, _really_.’

He spread out his arms. ‘We’ve got two days. It might not be enough to enjoy the delights of Detroit.’

Diane rolled her eyes. ‘I’m going to have a shower. Would you order me the salmon?’

‘Sure.’

‘Don’t forget to put some clothes on before the food arrives,’ Diane said as she wandered towards the bathroom.

Scott ordered the food and pulled out his sweats from his backpack. It felt almost surreal being in a hotel room. The last time had been way before Katie was born. Not a honeymoon since they’d pretty much eloped. Sue had been in a rush to get away from the life that her parents had wanted for her and Scott… Well, he’d always been one for making whatever decision felt best at the time.

They’d had proper vacations. The usual places and doing the usual things. Sue liked to visit art galleries and most of the time he went along with that, so long as he got a couple of days by the pool.

He couldn’t even consider anything like that now. That was okay. It was just different was all. Maybe one day when Katie was a lot older a vacation might be something he could do. But he didn’t want to think about her old enough for that. She was getting older way too quickly as it was.

Scott pulled on his sweats as someone tapped on the door. He was just putting the food on the desk as Diane emerged from the bathroom.

‘I see you’re dressing up for the occasion,’ she said wryly.

‘Says the woman in a towel,’ he pointed out.

***

He called Margaret in the morning, just to check in and say hi to Katie. Then he and Diane had a leisurely breakfast in the restaurant. He’d almost forgotten what it was like to be able to just sit and talk to another adult over breakfast.

‘What time are you picking up Katie tomorrow?’ Diane asked.

‘Three,’ he said. ‘Plenty of time to get to the plane. You know I’ll end up spending twenty minutes trying to find something that she’s lost or calm her down because she’s heartbroken at leaving her new favourite pillow.’

Diane smiled. ‘How long are you allowing for your in-laws to grill you about your life?’

‘Ten minutes, max,’ he said. ‘Bill doesn’t ask much. He’s a nice guy but I don’t think he’s ever gotten over losing Sue. Not that Margaret _has,_ but he can talk to me without being reminded of her too much.

‘Oh,’ Diane said. ‘I thought I was joking. I didn’t realise it was such an issue.’

Scott shook his head. ‘It’s not an issue. Margaret worries.’

‘About Katie?’

‘Not so much these days,’ he said. ‘I think sometimes she does it as a distraction. Her health isn’t great.’

‘She sounds like my mom,’ Diane said wryly. ‘I’m not sure why she has so much trouble with the idea that I tried marriage and it didn’t work for me. I don’t think it works for a lot of people, but we force ourselves into it because it’s what we’re told is the “normal” way to live.’

‘She should meet my brother,’ Scott said. ‘I don’t think he’s ever dated a girl for more than six months.’

‘As long as he isn’t telling any of them that they’ll be together forever then I don’t see the problem,’ Diane said. ‘Relationships shouldn’t be one size fits all. Life isn’t.’

Scott sipped his coffee. ‘Is this still working for you? Plenty of women would not be happy about a part-time relationship snatched while the kid is asleep or visiting her grandparents.’

‘I’m not them and they’re not me,’ Diane said. She leaned forward to kiss him. ‘Now, are we going to see some sights?’

‘I’m not sure there are any,’ Scott admitted. ‘We might have nothing to do but lounge by the pool and go back to bed.’

Diane laughed. ‘Easy, tiger. There’s _plenty_ of time for that.’

***

Scott fell asleep in the cinema twice and Diane woke him up twice. The second time he drank his flat Coke in the hope that the caffeine might keep him awake. Diane snuggled up against him, the warmth of her body soaking through his shirt. He knew that this was the kind of thing that people meant when they asked if he didn’t miss being married. But it was a tiny part of something much larger. Something that he didn’t have the space for in his life anymore.

Diane got a work call while they were arriving back at the hotel. Scott gave her some space and went for a walk. It was a nice night with just a hint of coolness in the air. There were couples here and there out walking. That might’ve bothered some people, but it didn’t bother him. He’d go back to the hotel in maybe twenty minutes and they’d probably watch some TV before going to bed. It wasn’t romantic, he knew. He’d never been romantic, and his life now sure didn’t lend itself to romance.

And that was okay. He’d had big dreams for his life once. He’d learned that pragmatism was less painful. His dreams were smaller now and more realistic. That was okay too.

***

They got up late on Sunday. Had room service breakfast in bed. Diane made some calls while Scott showered and half-packed his things.

‘Sorry,’ Diane said, when he came back into the room.

‘What? Is there a problem?’

She pushed back her hair. ‘No, everything’s fine.’

Scott shrugged. ‘Then don’t apologise.’

She cocked her head. ‘It doesn’t bother you that I’m having to do some work stuff while we’re here?’

‘Did it bother you when I called to talk to Katie?’

Diane shook her head. ‘That’s not the same.’

Scott ran the towel over his wet hair. ‘It’s close enough. We have different priorities but that’s only a problem if we don’t accept it.’

Diane took the towel from his hand. ‘You’re just rubbing the same spot over and over.’

‘Oops.’

She kissed him. ‘You taste of toothpaste.’

He smiled. ‘How will ever I get rid of _that_ taste.’

***

Scott pulled up outside Bill and Margaret’s place a little before three. He whistled under his breath as he wandered up the driveway. The door opened as he reached it and Bill gave him a curt nod.

‘Saw you park.’

‘How’s it going?’ Scott asked.

‘Good, we’ve packed up Katie’s things. Want a coffee?’

‘Sure.’ Scott followed the older man through the house. The walls were covered in photographs of Sue when she was young and Katie now. It was good to look at them. To remind himself of Sue’s smile, the toss of her head, and the warmth in her eyes. It was too easy to see the pictures he had at home but no longer register the details. To let them become wallpaper.

‘Katie’s getting big,’ Bill said, as he made the coffee.

‘I know, it’s scary how quickly she’s growing up.’

Bill sipped his coffee. ‘When Sue was young, most of the time, I only saw her a few minutes a day. I’d try to make sure that I read her bedtime story every night.’

‘Katie mostly looks at the pictures,’ Scott admitted. ‘Most nights I’m as likely to fall asleep as she is.’

Bill laughed lightly. ‘It must be tiring doing everything by yourself.’

It wasn’t exactly a question but there was definitely a hint of one.

‘I don’t,’ Scott said. ‘I haven’t pushed a vacuum in my life and I’m not starting now.’

‘Me neither,’ Bill snorted. ‘Not what I meant.’

Scott shook his head. ‘It’s fine.’

Bill looked him in the eye for a moment. ‘Okay,’ he said.

The stairs creaked as Margaret carried Katie downstairs.

‘Here’s your daddy,’ Margaret said breathlessly, as she put Katie down.

Katie ran to Scott, throwing up her arms and beaming. ‘Daddy!’

He scooped Katie up and kissed her face. ‘Did you miss me?’

‘No!’

‘Katie!’ Margaret said, shocked. ‘That’s not true!’

Scott clutched his heart. ‘You’re so mean,’ he said to Katie. ‘Are you being mean to me?’

Katie giggled. ‘I missed you,’ she said, kissing his nose.

‘Good, because I missed you.’ Scott put her down. ‘Can you help Grandpa with the luggage while I talk to Grandma?’

‘Okay!’

Scott leaned back against the counter as Margaret shook her head.

‘I don’t know where she’s got that sense of humour from,’ she said wryly.

‘Hey, I have a sense of humour,’ Scott protested.

‘You do?’

He rolled his eyes. ‘So, you okay? Got your breath back?’

‘I’m fine,’ she insisted. ‘Just not used to exercise anymore.’ She put her hand on his forearm. ‘Did you have a good weekend?’

Scott nodded. ‘Didn’t do a whole bunch. Sometimes it’s nice to just do nothing for a while.’

‘With Diane?’ she asked delicately.

Scott sipped his coffee. ‘Yeah, she’s on her way back to California.’

Margaret licked her lips. ‘She seems very nice. She and Sue were very close.’

‘Yeah,’ Scott said. ‘I don’t think she’s really got over being there when Sue died.’

Margaret shuddered. ‘That must have been awful.’

‘We don’t talk about that much.’

Margaret brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. ‘If you wanted to bring her with you when you visit, we wouldn’t mind. It’s a… difficult situation, I know, but we understand that you’re a young man. Sue died four years ago. It’s natural that you’d be ready to move on with someone else.’

Scott touched her shoulder. ‘I don’t know that I’m ready to move on with someone else. At least, not in the same way.’

‘You’ve been seeing Diane for a little while.’

‘Yeah, and we’re both happy with things the way they are.’

Margaret was quiet for a moment. ‘You’re happy?’

He released a breath. ‘Honestly, yeah. Life is pretty good. It’s not perfect but nothing is. I’m happy.’

Margaret smiled, there was some sadness in it, but a lot more warmth. ‘Good. I’m glad.’

The End


End file.
